Thanks for the tough stuff

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; His love endures forever. -1 Chronicles 16:34 (NIV)

A nod to Thanksgiving seems fitting today. To take a slightly different tack, I’m challenging myself to notice not only the blessings I enjoy, but to try and be thankful for the blessings I’d just as soon have taken a pass on.

God is good… all the time! And all the time… God is good! We say that. It rolls off the tongue and works well as a declaration/response in the context of worship assemblies and conversations between Christians. And it’s true. It’s just easier to “feel it” when life seems to be rolling our way.

And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. -Romans 5:2b-4 (NIV)

My greatest spiritual growth has occurred during my hardest trials, seasons I would neither have chosen, nor wished upon anyone else. The perspective gained in those times helped me know God better and discover things about myself I would not have imagined. I honestly don’t know what has amazed me more – my desperate need for and complete dependence upon God, or His incredible never-failing faithfulness toward me.

Depending on how we choose to look at it, our lives and the state of the world we live in offer reason for despair or a platform for praise. Point: Our culture seems to be sprinting away from godliness at a more rapid rate than I have seen in my lifetime. Counterpoint: The difference between light and darkness has never been more pronounced; time to shine! Point: Our children and their children will have more opportunity for temptation and distraction than any generation before them has ever known. Counterpoint: God knew the world they would be living in and has been preparing them for this very moment in human history to be His messengers! And so it goes….

Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in ALL circumstances. For this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NIV)

This Thanksgiving, be safe, be happy, enjoy the good gifts Our Father has provided. But don’t forget to thank Him for the hard times He has brought you through and the lessons learned there as well. Our God can redeem anything. And He wastes nothing. Here’s a song from my playlist that I've had on repeat the last couple weeks to help me remember that: NeedToBreathe, "I Am Yours"

Scott Thompson